I feel like George Bailey at the end of It’s a Wonderful Life

As soon as I got the news that I was being laid off at work, I texted my closest friends and colleagues with the news. And after I packed my office into my car and drove home, I emailed a bunch more friends and colleagues.

I was deluged with replies. I had a call from a recruiter by lunchtime, and by mid-afternoon a coffee was scheduled with a woman I once worked for who is now a VP at a major local employer of software developers. She gave me a bunch of practical, useful advice on my search, and sent me a bunch of information about companies she talked to around town earlier in the year as she searched for the job she now holds. She told me she’d introduce me to anybody she met at any of those companies.

The next day, one of my oldest friends, who is well known and well connected in the open-source community, started asking around about freelance jobs I can do to make some money while I search. And I started reaching out to colleagues I enjoyed working with in the past but who I haven’t talked to in a while, to schedule lunches and coffees to catch up and see if they could connect me to people who might need someone who can do what I do. I’m booked for lunch for the next two weeks and have coffees sprinkled across my calendar.

And then the CFO of the company that let me go emailed me to schedule coffee, at which he opened his considerable contact list to me and offered to connect me with anybody he knew. That led to a few more coffees being scheduled with software-company CEOs and VPs around town — and directly to one job interview, with a company that needs to build a software testing practice. That’s exactly what I do best!

The strongest advice my VP colleague gave me was don’t settle. She urged me to wait for just the job I want — one with the right cultural fit (collaborative and collegial), at the right level in the organization (Director), with the right salary, doing the things I like to do the most (building and leading teams of technical people, driving projects, delivering software).

The closer I get to the money running out, the more I will have no choice but to settle so I can pay the mortgage. I hope that right next job is in this tidal wave of responses. This surge will peter out sooner or later, and then I will have to start working on alternate plans: aggressively seeking freelance and consulting jobs, and looking at permanent positions that aren’t exactly what I want but which will pay the bills.

But today, I feel like George Bailey at the end of It’s a Wonderful Life, when everybody he knew in Bedford Falls collected money to make up for the Building and Loan’s $8,000 shortfall. I feel affirmed and valued, at a depth I didn’t know existed. They say that in hard times you learn who your friends are. I’ve learned that I have far more friends than I ever knew.

What a good feeling this outpouring creates – it’s encouraging and I’m happy for you! And you can thank your VP colleague for me – I’m in the middle of a job search, and it’s tempting to “settle” for a job that’s almost what I’m looking for, but not quite. I have my eyes on one employer, and thanks to what your friend said, I’ll continue to look and interview, but keep my eyes open for a job that fits me. Keep us posted on your progress, Jim.

Thanks my friend! I’ve got an interview tomorrow, and another company has a “proposal” for me that I’ll learn about Wednesday. That proposal might be just a short-term contract but I like that company a lot and would be willing to consider it.

I’m so glad to hear about the outpouring of support, Jim, but not at all surprised: You strike me as a consummate professional who invests himself both in doing good work and in building constructive relationships. As others have said, I strongly suspect that not only will you not have to “settle,” but that you’ll actually be weighing several viable offers. I continue to send my good wishes … and I hope you’ll continue to keep us posted. We’re all rooting for you!

I used to tell my management team the same advice, don’t simply hire warm bodies, hire the right people the first time, even if it means working with a skeleton crew for a bit. Your right fit is waiting for you and it’s only a matter of time. Once they hire you, they’ll be just as excited as you are! I’m so glad you’re receiving all this outpouring of help right now. I’ll be praying for you….